The Pelican Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. brought home 14 awards from the national ABC Convention in Long Beach, California—including the ABC National Young Professional of the Year Award, ten awards for world-class construction projects and one award for craft work in instrument fitting.
ABC Pelican member Lance Arvel of GROUP Industries has been named the ABC National 2019 Young Professional of the Year. Of the 50 applicants, Arvel was selected as a finalist and was interviewed by a panel judges this week about why he embodies the merit shop philosophy. Arvel, a former chair of the ABC Pelican YP Group, also serves on the Board of Directors.
“I’m still in shock; I still cannot believe it,” Arvel says. “National Young Professional of the Year means a tremendous amount because the process taught me so much about who I am. My story shaped the man that I am today. What a great honor to represent my company and my ABC chapter, and I look forward to carrying the torch this year.”
The LSU Construction Management team, sponsored by ABC Pelican, took home third place overall and third place in estimating at the 2019 ABC Construction Management Competition. Preparation for the CMC began in January, when the team received an authentic request for proposal. Then the team submitted its bid, drew out an addendum on and took a written exam. LSU advanced to the top eight collegiate teams, presenting its bid to and taking questions from the judges.
The LSU CM team to place in the competition includes Brandon Brignac, Briggs Campo, David Morris, Courtney Tilly, John Davis and Annalise Rabito. Team captain and LSU CM Senior Brandon Brignac is proud of his team’s hard work and accomplishments.
“This is three years of hard work between LSU CM and ABC Pelican, and the hard work has paid off in a big way,” says Brignac, team captain and a senior in the LSU Construction Management program. “The judges said we were by far the most impressive school that they had seen, and that’s very gratifying for me. My team and I are grateful for this experience because it accelerated our careers and provided great networking opportunities. We’ve walked away from this with hands-on, real life experience.”
ABC Pelican member companies received 10 awards for outstanding merit shop construction projects at the 29th annual Excellence in Construction Awards. Only 90 projects were honored at the national level, each showcasing industry talent and commitment to building safely, on time and on budget.
See the Excellence in Construction Award and National Craft Championship winners.
